Means for Covering the Flange of a Waste Water Strainer

ABSTRACT

A waste water insert has a cylindrical wall surrounding a vertical cylindrical bore. A horizontal flange extends outwardly from the upper end of the wall and has a lip formed on its outer periphery. The horizontal flange of the waste water insert is super-imposed over the horizontal flange of a waste water strainer located in a bathtub, sink or the like. The cylindrical wall of the insert extends downwardly through the cylindrical wall of the waste water strainer with the two walls being spaced from each other by virtue of the cylindrical wall of the insert having a smaller diameter than that of the strainer. One or more grooves are within the cylindrical wall of the insert and receive resilient rings that engage the cylindrical wall of the strainer.

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/161,933, filed Aug. 23, 2005, now Issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,083, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A strainer in the plumbing field is the mechanism in the bottom of a sink, bathtub, or the like through which waste water flows from the receptacle. Strainers usually have valves or the like which control the flow of water therethrough. Most of these valve assemblies are threadably mounted within a threaded aperture located in the strainer.

Existing strainers have a vertically disposed externally threaded sleeve which engage corresponding threads on a fitting adjacent a vertically disposed aperture in the bottom of the water receptacle. The upper end of the sleeve terminates in a circular horizontal flange which engages and is sealed to the bottom of the receptacle around the aperture in the bottom of the receptacle. A hub with a threaded bore and with radially extending spokes is often located in a horizontal plane in the bottom of the strainer to support various closure valves.

Occasionally it is necessary to change the strainer of a given receptacle because the flange thereof has become tarnished, disfigured, or because the flange is incompatible esthetically with the owner's sense of ornamentation. Removal of the strainer is often a difficult task, particularly when the strainer has been in place for a long time. Conventional tools are typically insufficient for use in removal of the strainer. Further, there is a possibility that the threads of the replacement strainer will not be compatible with the threads of the fitting or bushing associated with the aperture of the receptacle. In addition, when the strainer is removed there is nothing to retain the back drain system and it falls away.

Some attempts have been made to place a substitute flange over the existing flange by providing structure whereby the substitute flange can be threadably secured to threaded bores of the strainer which originally threadably received the valve assembly of the strainer. This approach to the installation of a substitute flange is not satisfactory because variations of thread sizes in the original strainers are often incompatible with the thread sizes of the substituted flange adapter.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a means for covering the flange of an existing strainer without removing the existing strainer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a means for covering the flange of an existing strainer which will permit easy installation, and which will be well within the ability of those not being skilled in the plumbing art.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A waste water insert has a cylindrical wall surrounding a cylindrical bore. A flange extends outwardly from the upper end of the wall and has a lip formed on its outer periphery.

The flange of the waste water insert is superimposed over the flange of a waste water strainer located in a bathtub, sink or the like. The lip at the outer perimeter of the flange of the insert fits over the outer periphery of the horizontal flange of the waste water strainer to center the insert on the strainer. The cylindrical wall of the insert extends downwardly through the cylindrical wall of the waste water strainer with the two walls being spaced from each other by virtue of the cylindrical wall of the insert having a smaller diameter than that of the strainer. The cylindrical wall of the strainer extends below the cylindrical wall of the insert, and has a lower circular edge. One or more grooves are positioned within the cylindrical wall of the insert that receive one or more resilient ring members that engage the cylindrical wall of the strainer.

The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a bathtub with a waste water strainer located in the bottom thereof;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a preliminary step in mounting the waste water insert onto the existing waste water strainer;

FIG. 3 is an unexploded cross sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 showing a modified form of insert.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The numeral 10 designates a fluid compartment or receptacle such as a tub or a sink. Compartment 10 has a bottom 12 with an interior bottom surface 14. A waste water aperture 16 is located in bottom 12.

A waste water strainer 20 is shown in FIG. 2. Strainer 20 has an upper end 22 from which a circular flange 24 extends. The outer perimeter 26 of flange 24 engages the interior bottom surface 14 (FIG. 1) surrounding aperture 16. The strainer 20 has a downwardly extending cylindrical wall 28 and external threads 30. The typical closure valves which may be associated with strainer 20 have not been shown.

The numeral 34 designates a waste water insert. Insert 34 has a flange 36 with the periphery thereof terminating in a downwardly extending lip 38. As best shown in FIG. 3, the lip 38 extends downwardly and over the outer perimeter 26 of flange 24 of strainer 20. The lip 38 engages the bottom 12 of compartment 10 when installed.

Insert 34 has a downwardly extending wall 40 which surrounds a center opening 42. The diameter of wall 40 is less than the diameter of the cylindrical wall 28 of strainer 20 so that a space 43 (FIGS. 3 and 4) exists between the two walls. The lip 38 on the outer perimeter of the flange 36 of insert 34 centers the cylindrical wall 40 within the cylindrical wall 28 of strainer 20 (FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the waste water insert 34 includes a wall 40 with a cylindrical first portion 54 and a cylindrical second portion 58 with a conical portion 60 therebetween. The diameter of the cylindrical first portion 54 is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical second portion 58 such that the space 43 is reduced adjacent to the cylindrical first portion 54.

The cylindrical wall 40 extends downwardly and has a first groove 44 in the lower end. The groove 44 receives a resilient ring member 46 that engages the cylindrical wall 28 of the strainer 20 to hold the insert 34 in place. In one embodiment, the resilient ring member 46 is an O-ring.

Alternatively, the waste water insert 34, as shown in FIG. 4, has a second groove 48 in spaced relation to the first groove 44 with a raised surface 50 therebetween. The second groove 48 receives a second resilient ring member 52 that also engages the cylindrical wall 28 of strainer 20. Additional grooves and rings may be added as desired.

The insert is installed by inserting the cylindrical wall 40 of the insert 34 into the opening 16 (FIG. 2) of the strainer 20 until the insert is in place. At this point the resilient ring or rings of the insert will engage the cylindrical wall 28 of the strainer 20 to hold the insert 34 in place. No tools are required and the inserts are quickly, easily, and securely installed to achieve their required purpose.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other various modifications could be made to the device without the parting from the spirit in scope of this invention. All such modifications and changes fall within the scope of the claims and are intended to be covered thereby.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. 

1. A waste water insert adapted to be associated with a strainer that includes a cylindrical wall having an inner surface of a first diameter, comprising: a flange; a wall extending from said flange, said wall having a second diameter such that said wall is spaced from the inner surface of the strainer wherein no portion of said insert contacts the inner surface of the strainer; and a resilient member associated with an outer surface of said wall and the inner surface of the strainer.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said resilient member is an O-ring.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said flange of said insert rests on a flange of the strainer wherein said wall extends downwardly into an opening defined by the cylindrical wall of the strainer.
 4. The device of claim 4 wherein said wall includes a groove that receives the resilient member.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein said wall includes a second groove for receiving a second resilient member that engages the strainer.
 6. In combination with a fluid compartment having a bottom with a waste water strainer mounted in said bottom, said strainer having a first cylindrical wall with a bottom edge surrounding a cylindrical opening extending through the bottom of said compartment, and a first flange extending outwardly from a level above and adjacent to said cylindrical opening and positioned on the bottom of said compartment: a waste water insert comprising a second cylindrical wall, said second cylindrical wall defining a cylindrical bore and having an upper end with a second flange extending therefrom; said second cylindrical wall being spaced from said first cylindrical wall wherein no portion of said second cylindrical wall contacts said first cylindrical wall; and a resilient ring engaged on an outer surface of said second cylindrical wall and the strainer.
 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said insert has a groove that receives said resilient ring.
 8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said insert includes a second groove for receiving a second resilient ring that engages the strainer.
 9. The combination of claim 1 wherein said second flange rests on the first flange wherein said second cylindrical wall extends downwardly into the cylindrical opening defined by said first cylindrical wall.
 10. The combination of claim 6, wherein said second flange includes a lip that covers a portion of an outer edge of the first flange.
 11. A waste water insert adapted to be associated with a strainer mounted in a fluid compartment, comprising: a downwardly extending cylindrical wall that surrounds a center opening, said downwardly extending cylindrical wall having a diameter less than a diameter of a cylindrical wall of a waste water strainer adapted to receive said insert, said downwardly extending cylindrical wall extending into a cylindrical opening of said waste water strainer, a circular flange extending outwardly from said central opening superimposable over a flange of the waste water strainer, said flange adapted to rest on the flange of said waste water strainer, a resilient O-ring member fitted about the downwardly extending cylindrical wall and that contacts the cylindrical wall of the waste water strainer to hold the insert in place so that a space exists between the downwardly extending cylindrical wall and the cylindrical wall of the waste water strainer.
 12. The waste water insert of claim 11 wherein said insert has a groove that receives the resilient O-ring member.
 13. The waste water insert of claim 12 wherein said insert includes a second groove for receiving a second resilient O-ring member.
 14. The waste water insert of claim 11 wherein said fluid compartment comprises a tub or a sink.
 15. The waste water insert of claim 11 wherein said flange has a periphery terminating in a downwardly extending lip.
 16. The waste water insert of claim 11 wherein said downwardly extending cylindrical wall is centered within the cylindrical wall of the waste water strainer. 